January 13, 2011

Video: The Promise of this Hillside: Ravines Wine Cellars' Next Vineyard

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor

Tom Petty once mused that the waiting is the hardest part, and perhaps no one knows that better than a winemaker. A great vintage can require years before it can be enjoyed. And planting vines, well, pull up a chair. It's going to be a while.

Morten Hallgren, owner and winemaker of Ravines Wine Cellars, is hoping that the wait will end in the next couple of harvests. He planted a vineyard behind his tasting room, but only after re-working the site and carefully considering the property. The six acres of vines now planted extend like an index finger high up the hillside.

This short video shows you how Ravines got its name, and Hallgren explains what the site is made of. I also jokingly use the "T" word; Hallgren grew up in France but is hesitant to talk confidently about terroir in the Finger Lakes. That's not because he's not a believer. It's because he's a patient man, wanting to search and evaluate and monitor before making grand proclamations.